Comparison

Champion Chess vs ChessUp

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Champion Chess

Compete in virtual chess tournaments, progressing from local to international levels against diverse AI opponents. Prepare with practice games and aim to qualify for the ultimate Championship. Developed by Chess.com enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Progressive tournament structure
  • Multiple AI difficulty levels
  • Over 60 AI personalities
  • Practice game mode
  • Qualify for championship
Features
Read full description

Can you become the World Chess Champion? Find out as you join local, then regional, then international tournaments with virtual opponents on your way to the Championship! - Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, and Master levels - Play with more than 60 different virtual AI personalities - Practice games let you prepare for the main event - Participate in bigger and bigger tournaments as you try to qualify for the championship Brought to you by the chess fans and developers of Chess.com! ----------------------------------------------------- Also available in the app: Unlimited Pass Enjoy all Champion Chess features - unlimited! $2.99/month ** TERMS & DETAILS ** Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged the same amount for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. * Prices may vary by location. Terms of Use: https://www.chess.com/legal/user-agreement ----------------------------------------------------- ABOUT CHESS.COM Chess.com is built by chess players and enthusiasts who really love chess! Team: http://www.chess.com/about Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chess Twitter: http://twitter.com/chesscom YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/wwwchesscom TwitchTV: http://www.twitch.com/chess

About

ChessUp

This app enhances your chess experience with a smart chessboard. It offers game archives, analysis, and live AI assistance. Connect to play remote opponents on various platforms.

Highlights
  • Chess game archives
  • Game analysis
  • Live AI assistance
  • Remote opponent play
  • BLE connectivity
Features
Read full description

ChessUp is a companion app for the ChessUp smart chessboard. The app provides chess game archives and analysis. The app can link with the chessboard over BLE to provide live Ai assistance. The app can also provide an internet connection for the board in order to play remote chess opponents on various chess platforms.

Screenshots

Champion Chess4 screens
ChessUp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessUp at none against Champion Chess's 1. ChessUp also leads on ads (none vs shown). Champion Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Champion Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. ChessUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Champion Chess against 4.8 for ChessUp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Champion Chess's written reviews are positive against 54% of ChessUp's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Champion Chess ships an update monthly, ChessUp every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Champion Chess versus ChessUp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChampion ChessChessUp
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.5K ratings)4.8 (2.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.3% of reviews54.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K2.8K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size504 MB218 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess.com, LLCBryght Labs Inc.

Customer experience

Champion Chess

All ratings1,498 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral4.9%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral14.5%
Negative38.2%

ChessUp

All ratings2,658 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative33.3%

User reviews

Champion Chess

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun game to play
  • 💡 Sophisticated enough to challenge amateur players
  • 🚀 Great graphics and animations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing crashes or freezes
  • 🤔 Confusing piece identification, especially on crowded boards
  • 🤖 AI too strong, making it difficult to win
  • ⚠️ Frequent draws declared even when checkmate is possible

ChessUp

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app and board
  • 👍 Fantastic board to learn and improve game
  • 🚀 Awesome chess experience
  • 👍 Wonderful app
  • 👍 Incredible learning tool

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Lots of bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Crashes and connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Misleading marketing and unfinished product
  • 🐛 Haptics issues and unresponsive interface
  • 🐛 AI difficulty imbalanced

Bugs and requests

Champion Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Rooks unable to move
  • Incorrect handling of pawn promotion
  • Crashes on launch for some users

Requested features

5 requests
  • 2D board view option
  • Move-by-move game replay
  • Ability to save game moves
  • Customizable music and sound levels
  • Easier way to reset board orientation

ChessUp

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Moves not registering
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Sync issues between app and board
  • Lessons not working properly
Show 1 more
  • Chess.com integration problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add chess openings lessons
  • Implement position setup and export/import
  • Add post-game review mechanism
  • Improve AI difficulty scaling
  • Add chess puzzles

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Champion Chess

Subscriptions1
  • Unlimited Pass$2.991 Month
None

ChessUp

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Champion Chess free?
Champion Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessUp free?
ChessUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Champion Chess or ChessUp?
ChessUp is rated higher. Champion Chess averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while ChessUp averages 4.8 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Champion Chess or ChessUp have ads?
Champion Chess shows ads; ChessUp does not.
Which is updated more often, Champion Chess or ChessUp?
Champion Chess ships an update monthly, and ChessUp every 2 weeks. Most recently, Champion Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and ChessUp on November 3, 2026.

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